Evaluating the social acceptance of autonomous ferries: An observation from passengers’ boarding willingness

Ferries are crucial for the transportation of passengers in coastal areas, offering multi-route, high-frequency, and point-to-point services at a lower cost than bridges or tunnels. Recently, many countries have been advocating for autonomous ferries due to their eco-friendliness and potential to mitigate accidents that often occur on traditional manned ferries due to human error. However, the public's acceptance of autonomous transport systems is frequently influenced by scientific evidence that supports their practical applications. This study endeavours to scrutinise the social acceptance of autonomous ferries from the passenger's perspective, employing the perceived value theory. A total of 151 responses have been collated from our questionnaire, aiming to investigate the public's acceptance of autonomous ferries, and to obtain the users' opinions on key influential dimensions such as the perceived price, quality, value, risk, and willingness to use an autonomous ferry. Structural equation modelling (SEM) has been employed to examine the relationship among these dimensions. The findings reveal that the perceived price and quality have a positive effect on the perceived value, which, in turn, has an indirect effect on the willingness to use autonomous ferries. The conjecture that the perceived risk influences the perceived value and willingness to use autonomous ferries is fully supported by our findings. Building on the findings of this research, this study offers specific recommendations to industry operators and government authorities to guide policy formulation and operational decision-making in the development of autonomous ferry.